Legislation that would have allowed "safe and sane" fireworks sales the week before New Year's died earlier this year in the state Legislature.

Senate Bill 1468, by Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, was supported by hundreds of nonprofit organizations that have found fireworks sales to be a valuable fundraising tool each Fourth of July - worth about $70 million statewide.

That's much-needed money these days, when other sources of funding have dried up.

But critics - including the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District - weren't so keen on expanding fireworks to New Year's.

The district warned that fireworks could worsen wintertime pollution, causing an "extreme adverse impact to public health," and could force officials to call for more frequent bans on residential fireplace burning.

Others felt the legislation was premature. A stakeholder group is already meeting to discuss statewide fireworks policy, including how to manage fireworks waste, enforce the rules and ensure adequate funding.

Finally, the state Department of Finance argued that new costs from confiscation, storage and destruction of illegal fireworks could put pressure on California's sagging general fund.

Calderon's proposal would have allowed safe and sane fireworks to be sold Dec. 26 through Jan. 1 of the years 2014-15 and 2015-16. Right now those fireworks are legal only around the Fourth of July.

The bill would have applied only to the 290 communities across the state that have passed ordinances approving fireworks sales, including Stockton, Lodi, Manteca and Tracy.

The bill was sponsored by pyrotechnics powerhouse TNT Fireworks. A spokesman could not be reached this week.